Summary for powder zinc lead tin alloy Discussion
Powdering small quantities of zinc lead tin alloy is discussed as a shop task with serious dust concerns, especially because of the lead content. Adam Prince asks for a low-cost, safe way to make about 400-gram batches fine enough to brush on after mixing with a petrolatum/ammonium chloride/zinc chloride flux, and suggests a wet blender approach followed by a steel ball mill and low-heat drying. The thread excerpt provided contains only the question, so no answerer recommendations or alternative methods are shown. The key issue is safe handling of lead-bearing dust while producing a fine powder suitable for repeated small-batch use in a shop environment.
March 9, 2013
Q. I want to powder about 400 gram quantities of a zinc lead tin alloy rod and mixing the resultant powder with petrolatum ammonium chloride zinc chloride based flux. The powder should be fine enough to apply with a brush. I will do multiple small batches as needed. I’m aware of the danger of lead dust and this will be done in a shop setting (not a home). What is a low cost/safe method that I may be able to powder this alloy?
I was considering using a heavy duty blender and doing it wet followed by a steel ball mill. Followed by drying of the powder in a beaker over low heat.
Adam Prince
Shop Owner – Rochester, New York